WIPocalypse Update #4

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Phew – a little late. But here.

I made some progress on Hannah Beeby. This is as of 4/15/12. I’ve made more progress since then, but that’ll be for another update!

I also completed Round 2 of my Mirabilia Round Robin. This is Tanya’s RR, I stitched June Pearl Fairy:

And what it looks like so far:

I hope to have Hannah Beeby finished by my next Update. I’m also trying to keep myself from starting another new project (a HAED). *sigh*

Washington DC (February 2012)

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Last month I was lucky enough to be able to spend a few hours in Washington DC. It was not nearly enough time, and I didn’t step foot into any museums because of the time constraints, but I’m so glad I spent the time to go anyway! I will definitely be going back here one day!

Some pictures ….

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Abraham Lincoln Memorial


Looking down from the Lincoln Memorial, across the Reflecting Pool (under construction) to the Washington Monument!


Washington Monument – Still under rehab from the Earthquake last summer


The Capitol Building – this is taken from the base of the Washington Monument, I didn’t take the time to walk down there.


The White House

I also went to Arlington and spent a couple of hours there. Again, not near enough time. It was extremely humbling and to do it properly, you really should plan an entire day there. The Spring would be gorgeous when the trees are in bloom!


Arlington National Cemetery


The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – I stayed and watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony – amazing!


The Eternal Flame – John F. Kennedy’s Grave

11 Things (AKA I’ve been tagged).

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Well, thanks to Melissa, I’ve been tagged. She just likes to do that in order to make me post more. I’ve already posted like 3 times this year, I’m not sure what else she wants from me! :P

I will not be following the rules and tagging anyone else, but I will answer the questions posed to me!

11 Random Things about Me

  1. I own a 4-wheeler (Quad)
  2. I technically have 5 tattoos, though by looking at them, you’d see only 3.
  3. My brother gave me what would technically be 3 of my tattoos – and he’s still not done with one of them.
  4. Surprisingly, I’ve only been to 38 or 39 states. Most of the states I haven’t been to are in the Northeast, though Oklahoma, Arkansas and S. Dakota are included in that list as well. I’m hoping that in the next couple of months I can knock a couple of those off, as I’ll be in the Boston area next month.
  5. I’ve been to 7 Canadian Provinces.
  6. I once won the equivalent of the Miss Congeniality award when I did the Young Woman of the Year program my Junior year in High School.
  7. Once upon a time, I was going to be a Doctor. That was before I flunked chemistry my first quarter in college. Oops.
  8. I love to read. Mostly smut! LOL
  9. I say that I scrapbook, but mostly I collect scrapbooking materials.
  10. I love to go on vacations.
  11. I love my puppies, Jack & Benny.

(That was much harder than I thought it would be, and yes, I might have gotten lazy towards the end of the list!)

My 11 answers from the Questions that Melissa asked:

  1. What’s the most memorable vacation you’ve ever taken? Probably my 17 day trip to Europe in 2000. Spain, France and Italy on a Cruise Ship.
  2. What’s your dream vacation? Down under mate (AKA Australia). That along with the South Pacific Islands (Tahiti and Bora Bora).
  3. What’s your favorite childhood memory? That’s a tough one, there are a lot. Going to Moses Lake camping and fishing, camping on the American River, going to Hawai’i and snorkeling and hanging on the beach the whole time we were there, going to Canon Beach with my Grandma, learning to quilt with my other Grandma.
  4. What’s something you’re good at doing? I’m pretty decent at cross stitching, and I’m pretty good at making cards and scrapbooking.
  5. What’s your favorite hobby? Oops – see the above. Right now though, I’m more into stitching than anything else.
  6. Do you read recipe/cooking websites or blogs? If so, what’s your favorite? Not really. I get most of my recipes from friends or off Pinterest these days.
  7. Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it? This is an ever changing thing I think. Currently though, my favorite is: “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.”
  8. Are you afraid of anything? If so, what? Yes. Slugs. No comment.
  9. What book are you currently reading? Nothing right now, but I still have the most current Black Dagger Brotherhood book and at least one of the Sookie Stackhouse to catch up on!
  10. What are you most grateful for? My family and friends (who are just an extension of my family). My good job. My puppies.
  11. What can make you happy when you’re feeling blue? My dogs. Music – specifically Smile by Uncle Kracker.

Phew, that was a lot of work! Goodnight!

WIPocalypse Update #2

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Time for another Cross Stitch update!

I was fairly productive this last month, though had no finishes. Hopefully will be able to finish a couple this month.

I worked on 3 different pieces this month (2 were new starts).

Hannah Beeby:

Progress as of 1/7/12:

Progress as of 2/7/12:

Moonlit Garden by Blackbird Designs – Started 1/31/12:

Progress as of 2/7/12:

LNH Ornament – He’s a Flake – Started 1/19/12:

Progress as of 2/7/12:

I’ve updated my drop down window with the new additions and updated progress pictures!

Until next month!

WIPocalypse Update #1

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As I just signed up for this yesterday, I have no progress to show.

I did create a Category at the Top of my Blog – the drop down will take you to each piece currently in my WIPocalypse rotation. As other pieces are started, a page will be added for it! And each piece will be marked DONE as they are completed!

My original WIPocalypse post can be found here!

Looking forward to making some progress this next month!

WIPocalypse

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I’m going to participate in WIPocalypse this year! It’s a SAL in the stitching community, to works towards getting your WIP pile decreased throughout the year.

I hesitated joining, as my list is not that long really, but was encouraged by Melissa to join, so I did!

I’ll be taking pictures and linking them later today of the current progress on each!

Current WIPS for 2012:
Magnolia Pixie – Mirabilia
Hannah Beeby – Timeless Designs
Mary Wigham
America, Land that we Love
My Lady Quaker

New Starts in 2012:
Moonlit Garden – Blackbird Designs
6 Fat Men – Lizzie Kate
Mirabilia Round Robin (8 rounds) at TWRRB
Letter T – Nora Corbett
LHN Ornie of the Month ornaments (22 total)

You can read more about the 2012 WIPocalypse here.

And here’s the crazy list of participants so far!!

I’ve spent a great deal of time organizing all of my Cross stitch supplies and making lists, etc.

I’m going to spend the time and do the same thing with my scrapbooking supplies. I need to make a list of WIPs there as well, and work to make progress on some of this stuff!

2011 Cross Stitch Finishes (Picture Heavy)

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The last few months of 2011 saw me stitching a ton. I decided early on in the year that I was going to give Cross Stitch for Christmas gifts this year. I had long ago purchased the kits/materials for 3 of the pieces, it was just a matter of me getting them done!

I started stitching in April, and quite quickly finished this piece for my Grandmother: (I must have missed taking a “final” picture, as I sewed buttons between each section in the final piece).

Once that was done, I started stitching on this next piece. I stitched on it for about 10 days in April and May, and then picked it back up in October – finished it on October 29th, 2011. This was for my Parents, and depicts the day they got married, and their initials.

I then did a very quick stitch for my BFF, Melissa. I finished it up in just a few days.

My next finish was for my other BFF, Jill. Her and her family graciously keep my dogs while I’m away on business travel. I will forever be indebted to them! I finished this one in the middle of November.

In November I began a SAL (stitch-a-long) with some girls on Facebook for this next piece. Anyone who knows me, knows I love sunflowers! When I saw this pattern, and found out about the SAL I had to do it! I finished it Thanksgiving weekend.

And, I also finished a couple of ornaments (at least the stitching part), in December. These are part of a set of 24 that I’ve collected for the past 2 years from Little House Needleworks Ornament of the Month series. My goal is to try to finish at least one ornie a month from here on out!

Fa La La:

Pear Tree:

I diligently worked on another piece for most of December, and into the New Year, and finally finished it last night for my first 2012 finish, but as the intended gift-ee reads my blog, and they have yet to receive it for a few more weeks, I can’t post a picture yet. Once it’s been delivered I will post it though! Those who follow me on Facebook will know what I’m talking about!! :)

Stamps 4 Sale!

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Hi everyone!

Long time no post! Oops!

Traveling is still going … I’m in Illinois right now! I was going to go into Chicago this weekend, as I’ve never been there, but it’s been so hot and humid (heat index of up to 115 degrees) that I decided to forgo that trip and hang out instead.

I spent last weekend with a group of dear friends scrapbooking for the weekend! It was great fun, and Amanda, Nicole and I even took a break Saturday morning to go see the “brunch” showing of Harry Potter. For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook you know my opinion on the HP movies, but I have to say, this last movie was really good! (If you like Rom-Coms I highly recommend Friends With Benefits as well – saw it yesterday it was definitely a cute movie!)

I’m in “organize” mode these days. I’m going through my “stash” and taking a hard line one what I have versus what I NEED. In that vain, I’ll be throwing some stuff up for sale, starting today. For now, I’m starting with about 15 or so stamp sets, but once I get home, I will be adding more to that page! If you’re interested in anything, just let me know!

For Sale!

May Your (MY) Way!

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The Sisterhood started a new Challenge for May … May Your Way!

I’m a few days late in joining in, but figured it would be a good way to set some goals for myself for the month of May!

So, my May goals:

  • Journal my food … good, bad, and ugly
  • Blog at least 2 times a week (I missed April all together – OOPS)
  • Make a new recipe at least once a week, and blog about it
  • Starting tomorrow, May 6th, accumulate 200,000 steps throughout the rest of May. That’s 8,000 steps a day minimum. Melissa came up with that goal and I LOVED it (she started the 1st of May though and is shooting for 250,000 steps).

That’s about it! If you’re interested in reading more about the Challenge, I’ve added a button on the Right to the Sisterhood!

I have a ton of pictures to post, more scrapbook pages to share, and more stuff in general to talk about. I go home tomorrow and will be home for 17 days (w00t), so I’ll be catching up on my Blogging while I’m home! Stay tuned …

The “List”

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Tomorrow is the 1st day of April.

We’re already a 1/4 of the way through 2011. So crazy! The last several months have gone by really fast. I’m sure a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that there have been so many changes in my life – great changes!! I’m happy with my job, I’m happy with where I live, and I love that I live in a town where I have friends close to me again! I forgot how nice it was to be able to get together with someone with NO notice!

Anyway, off track.

A new month. What is it with new months? It’s kinda like Monday’s for me. It always feels like a good time for a new start. And if the first day of a month falls on a Monday? Even better! Of course the next time a new month starts on a Monday isn’t until August. Can’t wait that long. So, I’m going to appease myself with the fact that tomorrow is the first day of a Quarter as well! Totally irrelevant, I know, but it makes me feel better m-kay?

In a previous post I mentioned a “list” – and putting the fact that I make a habit of eating at drive throughs on this “list”. This list is a list of things that I need to work on to make myself healthier and even happier.

My goal for this new month, and new quarter (HA!), is to work on this list and create new habits that stick. The thing is, I have to be realistic about it. I spend more than half of any given month in a Hotel. That’s just a fact of life for me. It means that I’m going to eat a certain amount of foods in a restaurants. I just have to make better choices. It’s possible, I just have to do it. It’s not even about learning to make better choices – I know what I should eat compared to what I shouldn’t eat. I’m an “expert” when it comes to that. But knowing and implementing are two very different things, as most of us know.

Without further ado, I present to you The List:

  • Drink a minimum of 64 oz of water each day
  • No pop – not even diet
  • No fried foods – because of the eating out I will be doing, this is the best compromise I can make, but I think it’ll make a difference
  • Track my food, regardless of how much or how little – track everything
  • Do some sort of exercise – whether in the Hotel “gym” or in my room w/ a DVD
  • Order non-fat at Starbucks, its so simple, but it’s not something I remember to do
  • Take my Vitamins daily!
  • Have beef only 1-2 times a week. Choose chicken and fish otherwise.
  • Check in weekly on the Blog w/ a status update on the above List

For now, I think that’s all. I’ll likely add to that list as I go, but for now, it’s a good start.

Till next time!